Chapter 218: Earth-Fattening Silkworm and the Flower Ship Illusory City
Chapter 218: Earth-Fattening Silkworm and the Flower Ship Illusory City
John arrived at the core area of the inner city and respectfully bowed towards the place where Priest Bo Wen had once lived.
He spoke up, "High Priest Carl, I'm here."
"Come in!" came the reply.
"Yes," John responded, pushing open the heavy stone door, which felt somewhat burdensome to him, and stepping into the presence of Carl, who was seated on a meditation stone platform.
The empty room was filled with floating dust particles.
Upon closer inspection, John noticed that the dust was swirling in the air like vortices and starry rivers, occasionally settling on the ground in small amounts.
'Divine Stone Powder!' John's eyes widened in realization.
'I heard from Uncle Jim in the mines that over the past half month, all the divine stones mined have been ground into stone powder. Could it be that High Priest Carl needs it for something?'
"How's your progress with the breeding technique?" Carl's question snapped John back to attention.
"Your Holiness," John began, "I've managed to grasp the basics, but without any meat worms for experimentation, I'm unsure of the extent of its effectiveness."
"Hmph..." Carl chuckled lightly, "You're quite clever. If you hadn't given the meat worms to your beloved, you'd have succeeded by now."
"Never mind!" Carl waved his hand dismissively and flicked his sleeve, tossing out an object. "This is the Earth-Fattening Silkworm I've improved using the genes of meat worms, ant queens, and several other organisms."
"I've told you, but you won't understand until you try raising it yourself."
"This is a technique!" Carl bent his finger, and a streak of light shot into John's mind, transferring some operational experience directly into his memory.
"Hmm!" John felt his head suddenly heavy, as if struck by a hammer, and his body involuntarily leaned back.
When he recovered, he found new knowledge suddenly appearing in his mind.
'What an incredible tactic!' John thought in awe.
"Yes," he said, regaining his composure and nodding firmly. "I will definitely raise it well."
Currently, the Illusory City was facing a severe food shortage. The meat worms produced by the mother bug were all ground up and mixed with mud for distribution.
Even with the enhanced digestive capabilities of the city's residents, it was impossible to extract nutrition from the mud.
Eating the earth only provided a temporary feeling of fullness.
The Earth-Fattening Silkworm was about the size of a palm, and according to Carl's transmitted experience, this creature was extremely delicate.
It could only survive in specific temperature and humidity conditions and moved at an alarmingly slow pace.
Therefore, someone had to prepare food for it.
Fortunately, true to its name, the Earth-Fattening Silkworm's primary food was earth.
At its current juvenile stage, the silkworm required finely sifted soil mixed with water in a specific ratio to create a muddy solution for its sustenance.
Holding the Earth-Fattening Silkworm, John quickly made his way to the breeding room within the city, adjusting the humidity and temperature.
He carefully mixed water with the mud and poured it into the nest with utmost caution.
"Gurgle..." Bubbles rose in the muddy water, and the plump, pinkish Earth-Fattening Silkworm rolled around, rapidly contracting its body.
It had no mouth. Instead, its body surface was covered in numerous tiny pores, resembling oral organs, that devoured the muddy water.
In no time, half of the prepared muddy water was consumed by the silkworm.
"What an appetite!" John was pleasantly surprised. A healthy appetite indicated good health, and in a short time, the Earth-Fattening Silkworm's size had increased significantly.
Over the next few days, John tirelessly cared for the silkworm without rest, not daring to let his guard down for a moment.
One day, the now human-head-sized Earth-Fattening Silkworm gently wriggled its body, and a layer of gelatinous substance appeared on its surface.
"Meat Gel!" John's eyes lit up at the sight.
This gelatinous layer, referred to as meat gel by Carl, was a nutritious substance suitable for human consumption.
John carefully scraped off the meat gel, and to his surprise, he collected a full bowl's worth on the first harvest.
"According to the knowledge in my mind, a mature Earth-Fattening Silkworm can secrete meat gel four times a day, amounting to four large bowls. It's enough to provide energy for more than a dozen people for an entire day."
"And as it grows larger, the meat gel production will increase even further."
John scraped some meat gel with his finger and placed it in his mouth, savoring the taste for a moment before speaking, "It has a slight meaty flavor. No wonder it's called meat gel."
A few days later, with an ample supply of muddy water, the Earth-Fattening Silkworm grew significantly, now comparable in size to a two-year-old infant.
Each harvest of meat gel yielded a whopping twenty bowls! Although it was still insufficient for the entire Illusory City, it far surpassed the meat worms bred in the city's farms.
"Half a month," John muttered, holding a carving knife and drawing on a stone slate. "For the first three to four days, someone needs to be by its side at all times, and it doesn't produce any gel yet."
"This is the juvenile stage."
"The mature stage lasts for seven to eight days, during which its body rapidly expands, and the gel production increases significantly."
"Next up..."
"The decline phase!"
Looking at the earth-fattening silkworm before him, John's eyes flickered with a complex emotion.
After more than ten days of round-the-clock care, he had developed some affection for this creature.
But he was well aware that the earth-fattening silkworm's decline phase came quickly, and its short lifespan was the very reason it was immune to aberration.
The once plump and tender skin had now become rough and firm, and it no longer produced gel.
"Pffft!"
Suddenly, a crack appeared on the surface of the silkworm's flesh, and then, as if deflating, the plump and round silkworm began to collapse inward, its body shattering and scattering.
John didn't dwell on his sadness; he quickly snapped out of it and carefully picked up three tiny larvae from within the silkworm's remains.
The newly born silkworms were only slightly larger than ants, and if one didn't look closely, they could easily be overlooked.
Three days later, the silkworm returned to the same state it had been in when John received it from Karl.
However, the newborn silkworms were too delicate, and despite John's careful care, one of them died.
After another four days, they began to secrete gel.
Ten days later, two silkworms passed away, leaving behind five offspring. This time, John was more successful, and four of them survived.
...
John stepped out of the breeding room, feeling mentally exhausted after a long period without rest. His legs felt weak and unsteady.
He stood at the door, dazed for a long time before slowly coming back to his senses.
Rubbing his slightly swollen head, he started walking towards the reservoir.
"Mr. John!"
"John!"
"..."
Along the way, the city residents greeted him enthusiastically, some even with a hint of flattery.
The recent abundance of food in the illusory city was thanks to John, and everyone knew it.
Apart from High Priest Karl,
it was John!
"Joe!"
"Aunt Enpei!"
"Hello."
John thoroughly enjoyed the way the people treated him, enthusiastically waving back at them, and his tired spirit was instantly rejuvenated.
"Hey!"
"Yo!"
"Again!"
A shout came from ahead.
John's eyes lit up, and he quickened his pace.
"Abe!"
He nodded to someone in the crowd:
"Are you going to build another reservoir?"
"Yes."
Abe was tall and had a kind face. Upon hearing John's question, he smiled and nodded:
"This will be the fifth reservoir in the city. We're planning to build a few more after this."
"Then water won't be a problem anymore."
"Great!" John rubbed his hands together, excited:
"That's wonderful!"
"Can you build one near my breeding room? You know, earth-fattening silkworms need a lot of water."
"The next one will be there." Abe spoke up:
"Uncle McGin said that your breeding room needs to be expanded and might even be relocated."
"We'll build the reservoir after the location is confirmed."
"Is that so?" John smiled widely:
"With water and food, we can survive in the illusory city even if we don't leave."
"Yes!" Abe nodded, his gaze turning towards the core of the illusory city, his eyes filled with admiration:
"All thanks to High Priest Karl's blessings!"
"Indeed."
John nodded vigorously.
He was incredibly grateful that he had met Karl in the wilderness; otherwise, the illusory city wouldn't be what it is today.
The earth-fattening silkworms were now stable and could provide the city's residents with their daily nutritional needs.
And the reservoirs...
In the past, they had to pay a high price to have others build them, but now High Priest Karl had taught them the construction technique.
The new reservoirs were more efficient and convenient than before.
"Look!"
At that moment, someone suddenly looked up at the sky, pointed, and exclaimed excitedly:
"It's the floral ship!"
"The mobile illusory city's floral ship has come to us!"
The floral ship?
John's heart skipped a beat.
He had heard from the city's elders that in this world, there was a type of illusory city that could move through the air.
These cities were inhabited solely by women who would travel from one city to another, trading their women for resources.
The last time the floral ship had visited the illusory city was over twenty years ago, before John's time.
"I heard that the women on the floral ship are very fertile and can even compress their pregnancy to within three months."
"And their offspring are healthier too."
Someone muttered, "Do you think the floral ship will trade with us?"
(End of Chapter)
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